Network operational decision engine

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the invention provide systems, computer program products, and methods for a network operational decisional engine (NODE) to allow individual users to set resource distribution constraints on various accounts over a number of different networks. By providing a centralized user interface and storing and tracking user profile and account data, the invention recognizes and filters resource distribution requests based on operational decisions as specified by users in order to provide increased control over the authorization or denial of resource distribution requests. The NODE provides the ability to proactively control resource distribution constraints before requests for resource distribution are initiated, and allows for tailored operational decisions to be easily implemented based on a wide range of user-defined criteria.

BACKGROUND

Due to communication and design constraints of existing resourcedistribution networks, users have little control over the instantaneousauthorization or denial of resource distribution to or from theiraccounts. The ability to proactively control resource distributionconstraints can be cumbersome and costly to implement. As such, a needexists for an improved approach to resource distribution that allows fortailored operational decisions to be easily implemented based onspecific user-defined criteria.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of one or more embodimentsof the invention in order to provide a basic understanding of suchembodiments. This summary is not an extensive overview of allcontemplated embodiments, and is intended to neither identify key orcritical elements of all embodiments, nor delineate the scope of any orall embodiments. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one ormore embodiments in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detaileddescription that is presented later.

In some embodiments, the invention utilizes a network operationaldecisional engine (NODE) to allow individual users to set resourcedistribution constraints on various accounts over a number of differentnetworks. By providing a centralized user interface and storing andtracking user configuration and account data, the invention recognizesand filters resource distribution requests based on operationaldecisions as specified by users in order to provide increased controlover the authorization or denial of resource distribution requests.

Embodiments of the invention relate to systems, methods, and computerprogram products for providing a user interface to a user allowing theuser to apply one or more operational decisions to a user account,wherein the one or more operational decisions comprises restrictions fordistribution of resources; receiving instructions via the user interfacefor the one or more operational decisions related to the user account ona resource distribution network and store the one or more operationaldecisions in a network operational decision table; receiving a requestfor distribution of resources from the user account located on theresource distribution network; and authorize or deny the request fordistribution of resources from the user account located on the resourcedistribution network based on the one or more operational decisionsstored in the network operational decision table.

In some embodiments, the one or more operational decisions furthercomprise transactional restrictions for distribution of resources basedon resource amount, distribution frequency, resource distributionrecipient, or other user-defined criteria.

In some embodiments, the one or more operational decisions furthercomprise transactional restrictions for distribution of resources basedon a SKU code, product code, or merchant identifier, and the system isfurther configured to identify the SKU code, product code, or merchantidentifier associated with the request for distribution of resources,and authorize or deny the request for distribution of resources based onthe identified SKU code, product code, or merchant identifier.

In some embodiments, the network operational decision engine authorizesor denies the request for distribution of resources instantaneously inreal time.

In some embodiments, the user interface is displayed via a mobile deviceand wherein the user applies one or more operational decisions tomultiple user accounts simultaneously.

In some embodiments, the one or more operational decisions are appliedto a user account over multiple resource distribution networks such asdebit card, credit card, ACH, and real-time-payment transactions.

In some embodiments, the system further comprises storing configurationdata for the user, wherein the configuration data comprises authorizeddistribution amounts, authorized resource distribution recipients,temporal data associated with authorized resource distributions, andlocation data from the user's mobile device, determining a pattern ofauthorized resource distribution activity based on the userconfiguration data, receiving a subsequent request for resourcedistribution of resources from the user account, determining aconfidence score by comparing data for the subsequent request fordistribution of resources from the user account with the pattern ofauthorized resource distribution activity and compare the confidencescore to a threshold value identifying the subsequent request fordistribution of resources from the user account as irregular based onthe confidence score measuring lower than the threshold value, causingthe user's device to display an alert including details of theidentified irregular request, and allowing the user to instantaneouslyauthorize or deny the irregular request and apply one or more additionaloperational decisions to the user account.

The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed may beachieved independently in various embodiments of the present inventionor may be combined with yet other embodiments, further details of whichcan be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus described embodiments of the invention in general terms,reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 illustrates a network operational decision engine environment, inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a high level flowchart of operational decisionconfiguration and implementation, in accordance with embodiments of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a high level flowchart of user configuration patternrecognition and irregular resource request recognition and alerting, inaccordance with embodiments of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a high level flowchart for operational decisionconfiguration and implementation for resource constrains based onproduct codes, in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a high level flowchart for operational decisionconfiguration and implementation for storage and implementation ofcommunication preferences, in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some,but not all, embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, theinvention may be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicablelegal requirements. Where possible, any terms expressed in the singularform herein are meant to also include the plural form and vice versa,unless explicitly stated otherwise. Also, as used herein, the term “a”and/or “an” shall mean “one or more,” even though the phrase “one ormore” is also used herein. Furthermore, when it is said herein thatsomething is “based on” something else, it may be based on one or moreother things as well. In other words, unless expressly indicatedotherwise, as used herein “based on” means “based at least in part on”or “based at least partially on.” Like numbers refer to like elementsthroughout. Additionally, many details that are well known in the artare neither shown nor described.

In some embodiments, an “entity” may be a financial institution thatprocesses resource requests. For the purposes of this invention, a“financial institution” may be defined as any organization, or the likein the business of moving, investing, or lending money, dealing infinancial instruments, or providing financial services. This may includecommercial banks, thrifts, federal and state savings banks, savings andloan associations, credit unions, investment companies, insurancecompanies and the like. In some embodiments, the entity may allow a userto establish an account with the entity. As used herein, a “third partysystem” may be any entity other than the entity which manages the NODEsystem, such as a financial institution, merchant, or other entity thatrequests resource distribution from an account stored on the NODEsystem. A “merchant” may include a brick and mortar business or anonline seller of good or services that may initiate resource requestfrom a user's account. An “account” may be the relationship that theuser has with the entity which controls the NODE system. Examples ofaccounts include a deposit account, such as a transactional account(e.g., a banking account), a savings account, an investment account, amoney market account, a time deposit, a demand deposit, a pre-paidaccount, a credit account, a non-monetary user configuration thatincludes only personal information associated with the user, or thelike. The account is associated with and/or maintained by the entity. Inother embodiments, an entity may not be a financial institution. Instill other embodiments, the entity may be the merchant.

In some embodiments, a “network” or “resource distribution network” mayrefer to a network used for communicating user account information orother user data. The network may be used to initiate or accepttransactions or payments to and from the user account via variouspayment channels such as checks, debit cards, mobile check deposits,Automated Clearing House (ACH) transactions, and real time payment (RTP)transactions. An “operational decision” may refer to a restriction orregulation on the distribution of funds or resources from a useraccount. For instance, a user may implement an operational decision tostop payment on a particular check, set a spending limit on a particularcard, set a restriction on an amount that may be spent on a specifictype of product, and the like. A “request” or “request for distribution”may refer to a request from a third party or merchant for payment asinitiated during a transaction between the user and a merchant. As usedherein, the request may refer to resource distribution from a useraccount over any type of payment network that the NODE system or entitymanaging the NODE system may support.

Conventional resource distribution processing systems receive requestsfor resource distribution and process these requests without interactionfrom a user associated with specific accounts. If a user desires to stopresource distribution in specific instances with respect to certainproducts or merchants, the user must contact the entity where theaccount is located, communicate the request to initiate an operationaldecision to alter the distribution of resources (such as requesting astop-payment), and the entity typically must then communicate therequest to one or more third party systems. The third party system maythen stop the resource distribution to specific merchants or recipients;however, this operational decision is specific to that third partysystem alone. In addition, the third party system may require resourcesto implement this operational decision, and there may be some delayinvolved in implementing the operational decision. As such, a givenmerchant may circumvent this operational decision by initiating theresource request through a different third party system. Additionally,users are left with limited capacity for initiating operationaldecisions in a timely and reliable manner. These problems may besomewhat alleviated by real-time-payment network architectures, whereinusers may initiate movement of resources into or out of their useraccount in real-time. The key difference between real-time-payment andother traditional resource distribution models is that real-time-paymentguarantees immediate availability of resources to the beneficiary of thetransaction. In contrast, real-time authorization of a transaction on atraditional card network is not the same; the user is committed to payand the recipient is guaranteed to eventually receive the resources, butthe availability of resources is not immediate. However, regardless ofwhether a network operates on real-time-payment or traditional“debit-pool” principles, a need exists for increased user control overthe immediate authorization or denial of resource requests.

The present invention addresses these needs by creating a platform forinitiating user-driven operational decisions at the entity level wherethe user account is located. The NODE managed by the entity utilizesdata from resource requests in order to either authorize or deny therelease of resources from the user account based on user-definedcharacteristics. For instance, the NODE may recognize that a resourcerequest has been initiated by a particular merchant for which the userhas added to a restricted list. Based on this information, the NODE mayrestrict the distribution of resources to that particular merchantacross all third party systems, including ACH transactions, credit cardtransactions, debit card transactions, real-time-payment transactionsand the like. Additionally, instead of completely restricting resourcedistribution on a binary “authorize or deny” basis, the operationaldecision employed by the NODE may be tailored to restrict based on acertain resource amount, specific time of day, specific third partysystem, specific product code, and the like.

In addition, the invention may utilize historical data from the user'spast authorized resource distributions in order to recognize a patternof user activity that is considered routine. By comparing incomingresource requests to the established pattern of routine user activity,the invention may identify specific resource requests that fall outsidethe normal pattern of user activity and may flag these requests. Theinvention may preemptively alert the user when the irregular request forresources is received by the NODE system. The user may then utilize theinvention's user interface to respond to the alert and implement arestriction on the flow of resources from the user account with respectto the identified transaction.

FIG. 1 illustrates a network operational decision engine (NODE)environment 200, in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention. FIG. 1 provides the NODE environment 200 for which the NODEsystem interfaces with users and devices, and provides a unique systemthat includes specialized servers and system communicably linked acrossa distributive network of devices required to perform the functions ofinitiating and completing resource distribution requests as well asimplementing and tailoring operational decisions.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the NODE system 208 is operatively coupled toan entity system 260, which communicates via a network 201 to the userdevice 204 and third party system 205. In this way, the NODE system 208and entity system 260 can send information to and receive informationfrom the user device 204 and third party system 205. FIG. 1 illustratesonly one example of an embodiment of the NODE environment 200, and itwill be appreciated that in other embodiments one or more of thesystems, devices, or servers may be combined into a single system,device, or server, or be made up of multiple systems, devices, orservers.

The network 201 may be a system specific distributive network receivingand distributing specific network feeds and identifying specific networkassociated triggers. The network 201 may also be a global area network(GAN), such as the Internet, a wide area network (WAN), a local areanetwork (LAN), or any other type of network or combination of networks.The network 201 may provide for wireline, wireless, or a combinationwireline and wireless communication between devices on the network 201.In some embodiments the network 201 may be an internal network managedby the entity system 260 or by a third party. The third party system 205and NODE system 208 may include additional internal networks thatinterface with the network 201 and entity system 260.

In some embodiments, the user 202 is one or more individuals receivingor transmitting data from the NODE system 208 based on the user'spreferences, location, or proximity to one or more third party systems205. As used herein, the term “user” may refer to the user 202 whichmaintains a user account 261 on the NODE system 208. In otherembodiments, the “user” interacting with the NODE system 208 may be anentity system 260 employee or representative that is authorized toconfigure operational decisions on behalf of the user 202. FIG. 1 alsoillustrates a user device 204. The user device 204 may be, for example,a desktop personal computer, business computer, business system,business server, business network, a mobile system, such as a cellularphone, smart phone, personal data assistant (PDA), laptop, or the like.The user device 204 generally comprises a communication device 212, aprocessing device 214, a memory device 216, and a global positioningsystem (GPS) device 224. The processing device 214 is operativelycoupled to the communication device 212 and the memory device 216. Theprocessing device 214 uses the communication device 212 to communicatewith the network 201 and other devices on the network 201, such as, butnot limited to the third party system 205 and the entity system 260. Assuch, the communication device 212 generally comprises a modem, server,or other device for communicating with other devices on the network 201.Other devices such as the third party system 205 and entity system 260could also be associated with additional user devices that function inthe same or similar fashion as the user device 204 described above.

The user device 204 comprises computer-readable instructions 220 anddata storage 218 stored in the memory device 216, which in oneembodiment includes the computer-readable instructions 220 of a userapplication 222. In some embodiments, the user application 222 allows auser 202 to communicate with the entity system 260, NODE system 208 andthird party system 205 to communicate instructions for resourcedistribution and operational decisions regarding the user account 261.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1, the entity system 260 represents asystem maintained by an entity which supports or interfaces with theNODE system 208. The entity system may be managed by a business, afinancial institution, or other entity that manages user accounts orthat processes resource requests. The NODE system 208 generallycomprises a communication device 246, a processing device 248, and amemory device 250. As used herein, the term “processing device”generally includes circuitry used for implementing the communicationand/or logic functions of the particular system. For example, aprocessing device may include a digital signal processor device, amicroprocessor device, and various analog-to-digital converters,digital-to-analog converters, and other support circuits and/orcombinations of the foregoing. Control and signal processing functionsof the system are allocated between these processing devices accordingto their respective capabilities. The processing device may includefunctionality to operate one or more software programs based oncomputer-readable instructions thereof, which may be stored in a memorydevice.

The processing device 248 is operatively coupled to the communicationdevice 246 and the memory device 250. The processing device 248 uses thecommunication device 246 to communicate with the network 201 and otherdevices on the network 201, such as, but not limited to the third partysystem 205 and the user device 204. As such, the communication device246 generally comprises a modem, server, or other device forcommunicating with other devices on the network 201.

As further illustrated in FIG. 1, the NODE system 208 comprisescomputer-readable instructions 254 stored in the memory device 250,which in one embodiment includes the computer-readable instructions 254of an network operational decision engine 258. In some embodiments, thememory device 250 includes data storage 252 for storing data related tothe NODE environment 200, but not limited to data created and/or used bythe network operational decision engine 258. Data storage 252 alsoincludes a user configuration repository 260 for storing userpreferences and historical data about the user 202 and user account 261.In some embodiments, the user account 261 contains data related toaccessible resource amounts, such as a financial account balance, butmay also contain data related to the activities, and preferences of theuser 202, which may include temporal data, and user preference data foraspects of the user device 204 and third party system 205. In someembodiments, the user account 261 may be associated with more than oneuser 202 who are authorized to access the resources in the account andmake decisions as to how the resources are distributed. As such, thesystem may store configuration information for more than one user 202associated with the user account 261. Upon receiving data from the user202 or the third party system 205, the NODE system 208 is configured toanalyze resource distribution requests, user activity, and userpreferences and store the data in the user configuration repository 262.The system may use configuration and resource amount data from the useraccount 261 in conjunction with the network operational decision engine258 in order to authorize or deny requests for resource distribution, aswell as identify and alert the user 202 of resource distributionrequests that may require the user's attention.

In one embodiment of the NODE system 208, the memory device 250 storesan network operational decision engine 258. Furthermore, the NODE system208, using the processing device 248 codes certain communicationfunctions described herein. In one embodiment, the computer-executableprogram code of an application associated with the application 258 mayalso instruct the processing device 248 to perform certain logic, dataprocessing, and data storing functions of the application. Theprocessing device 248 is configured to use the communication device 246to communicate with and ascertain data from one or more of the thirdparty system 205, and/or the user device 204.

It is understood that the servers, systems, and devices described hereinillustrate one embodiment of the invention. It is further understoodthat one or more of the servers, systems, and devices can be combined inother embodiments and still function in the same or similar way as theembodiments described herein. The NODE system 208 may generally includea processing device communicably coupled to devices as a memory device,output devices, input devices, a network interface, a power source, oneor more chips, and the like. The NODE system 208 may also include amemory device operatively coupled to the processing device. As usedherein, memory may include any computer readable medium configured tostore data, code, or other information. The memory device may includevolatile memory, such as volatile Random Access Memory (RAM) including acache area for the temporary storage of data. The memory device may alsoinclude non-volatile memory, which can be embedded and/or may beremovable. The non-volatile memory may additionally or alternativelyinclude an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM),flash memory or the like. The memory device may store any of a number ofapplications or programs which comprise computer-executableinstructions/code executed by the processing device to implement thefunctions of the NODE system 208 described herein.

The user device 204 is configured to transmit commands and userselections via network 201 to the NODE system 208 indicating preferencesand actions from the user 202. Activity by the user 202 may be relatedto the use of the user device, the user's location, or the userinitiating a request for resource distribution on a third party systemwhich is communicated separately to the NODE system 208. User proximityto third parties or specific locations may be determined using locationdata from the user device 204 and location data may be obtained from theGPS device 224.

FIG. 2 illustrates a high level flowchart of operational decisionconfiguration and implementation 100, in accordance with embodiments ofthe present invention. As shown in block 102, the process ofimplementing an operational decision stars with the user configuring aset of preferences related to their account. The user is presented witha user interface which provides a set of options for the user to select.In some embodiments, the user interface may be provided via the user'smobile device, such as through a standalone NODE application, a websitevia the mobile device web browser, or may be included as a set ofoptions under an account management application. The user may set anumber of operational decisions for each of their one or more accounts.For instance, the user may wish to restrict the outflow of resourcesfrom a specific account. This could be done in a number of ways; forinstance, the user may wish to restrict the outflow of resources to aspecific merchant, set of merchants, type of merchant, or for certainproducts or services. In some embodiments, the restriction may be acomplete restriction on the outflow of resources, while in otherembodiments the user may choose to set a specific limit or threshold onthe outflow of resources. For instance, the restriction might be limitedto a certain resource amount, a temporal threshold, a third partysystem, one or more authorized users of the account, a certain paymentinstrument and the like. In some embodiments, the user may configuremore than one account at one time by applying the operational decisionto more than one account at a time.

As shown in block 104, instructions are received via the user interfacefor the one or more operational decisions related to the user account oraccounts and stored in a NODE decision table. The NODE decision tableconsists of operational decisions related to specific users and providesa basis for authorizing or denying incoming requests for resourcedistribution. The NODE decision tables exists on the NODE system 208 andinterface with the user configuration repository 262 in order to storeand manage operational decisions. In some embodiments, the NODE decisiontable may rely on certain data from the user configuration repository262, such as data collected about the user's account activities or GPStracking data, in order to recognize an irregularity or anomaly in anincoming request for resource distribution. For instance, the user mayhave configured a recurring resource distribution to a specific merchantor third party, or may have established a pattern of authorized resourcedistribution over time. The invention may recognize these patterns anduse the NODE decision table to compare incoming resource distributionrequests to the recognized patterns in order to flag requests that theuser may wish to restrict or alter before they are authorized. Forinstance, the invention may recognize that a certain recurring requestthat the user has authorized in the past has increased to a new amount.By comparing the incoming request to a pattern of previously authorizedrequests stored in the NODE decision table, the invention may recommenda course of action for implementing an operational decision for theincoming request. This capability is discussed in more detail withregard to FIG. 4.

Next, as shown in block 106, a request for distribution of resourcesfrom the user account is received. Based on the one or more operationaldecisions stored in the NODE decision table, the request fordistribution of resources may be authorized or denied, as shown in block108. The advantage of authorizing or denying a request at this stage isthat the user may have complete control over the resources leaving theuser's account before they are transferred over a third party system.For instance, a third party system or a merchant may initiate a resourcedistribution request for a subscription based service that is set toauto renew. The request may originate on a third party system, such as acredit card network. The request is then forwarded to the NODE system208 for disbursement of resources from the user account. In conventionalsystems, the user would be unable to stop the distribution of resourcesat the entity level, but would instead have to request the third partysystem to stop the resource distribution on a one-time basis, subject tothe approval of the third party system. As opposed to automaticallyprocessing the request for resources and retroactively giving the useran option to dispute the transaction, NODE allows the users to restrictresource distribution at the entity level, and the user may implementoperational decisions on an account-by-account basis rather than atransaction-by-transaction basis. Additionally, the user may implementan operational decision for an account that is linked to multipleresource distribution channels, such as multiple third party systems ormultiple resource distribution instruments, such as ACH transactions,credit card transactions, debit card transactions, and the like.

The invention compares the received request for resource distribution tothe operational decisions stored in the NODE decision table to determineif the request matches one or more parameters that the user hasidentified in an operational decision. In some embodiments, the user mayimplement an operational decision that restricts the flow of resourcesfor a specific third party system or merchant to a certain authorizedamount. In other embodiments, the user may restrict the resourcedistribution based on a given time period, or with respect to the use ofa certain distribution method. For example, the user may select anoption to restrict an amount of resources that may be utilized by amerchant over a month long time period. In other instances, the user maycombine multiple restriction parameters to achieve a desired result. Forinstance, the user may have a distribution instrument linked to theuser's account that is used by a family member who is authorized to usethe account. The user may wish to restrict the family member's alloweddistribution amount during a given time period or with regard to aspecific merchant. In some instances, the restriction may be narrowlytailored to only allow certain merchants, and deny all other requests.For instance, the user may implement an operational decision to restricta family member's access to resources such that requests are only duringa certain time period and for a specific merchant or product. As anexample, the user may dictate that the family member may only use theaccount to purchase gasoline during a specific weekend.

FIG. 3 illustrates a high level flowchart of user configuration patternrecognition and irregular resource request recognition and alerting 300,in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. As shown inblock 302, the invention may determine a pattern of authorized resourcedistribution activity based on data stored in the user's accountconfiguration. The invention stores a number of categories ofinformation in the user's account configuration that allows for theidentification of patterns in user behavior. These patterns may be usedto anticipate how the user would react to new requests for resourcedistribution, and may form the basis for recommendations to the userregarding future requests and possible operational decisions that theuser may want to implement. The categories or types of data contained inthe user configuration may include historical transaction data, userpreferences, data about the user received from third parties andmerchants, or data collected from the user's mobile device, such aslocation data.

As shown in block 304, the invention receives a subsequent request forresource distribution from the user's account and determines a level ofconfidence that the request matches or aligns with the patternsidentified in the user's past behavior. As shown in block 306, theconfidence score may be compared with a threshold confidence value inorder to determine if the subsequent request differs from the identifieduser behavior patterns in a statistically significant way. For instance,the pattern of authorized resource distribution activity for the usermay indicate that the user only shops at a particular merchant at aspecific time of day or a specific day of the week. The invention mayreceive a subsequent request from this same merchant for distribution ofresources from the user's account on a day that the user does notusually shop at that particular merchant, or the amount of resourcesrequested for distribution may be much higher than the user's averageexpenditure at that particular location. By comparing the detailsassociated with the subsequent request to the identified pattern, theinvention may determine confidence score that is lower than a pre-setthreshold value, thus indicating an irregular request, as shown at block308.

Upon identifying the request as a possible irregular request, theinvention may cause the user's device, which may be a mobile device insome embodiments, to display an alert, as shown by block 310. The alertcontains details of the subsequent request, includes a means for theuser to authorize or deny the subsequent request instantaneously. Inaddition, as shown by block 312, the invention may proactively recommendimplementing an operational decision related to or based on thesubsequent request. For instance, the user may set an operationaldecision to deny all requests from this particular merchant untilfurther notice, set a limit as to the amount of resources that themerchant may be authorized to receive per transaction, set a decision toalways authorize subsequent requests from the merchant, or set any otheroperational decision that the user may wish to implement on theiraccount.

FIG. 4 illustrates a high level flowchart for operational decisionconfiguration and implementation for resource constrains based onproduct codes 400, in accordance with embodiments of the presentinvention. As shown at block 402, this process begins with receivinginstructions from the user via the user interface for the one or moreoperational decisions that the user would like to implement for theirone or more user accounts. In some embodiments, the operational decisionmay be related to the restriction of resource distribution with regardto certain products. The operational decisions are stored astransactional restrictions, as shown at block 404, and placed in theNODE decision table for later reference. The invention receives arequest for distribution of resources from the user's account located onthe NODE system or managing entity network, and analyzes the request toidentify a protect code associated with the request, such as a stockkeeping unit code (SKU code), universal product code (UPC code), or anyother code that identifies the products or merchants associated with therequest.

Based on the operational decisions stored in the NODE decision table forthe user's account, the invention will either authorize or deny therequest. As shown in block 410, this may include comparing theidentified SKU codes associated with the request and comparing them withthe user's operational decisions on the user account to determine ifthere are any restrictions on requests related to the specificidentified products. As an example of how this technique might beemployed, the user may wish to restrict a debit card linked to theuser's account that the user has given an authorized user to use in thecase of emergencies. The user may have instructed the authorized userthat the card is only to be used for a particular purpose, such as tobuy gasoline. The user may implement an operational decision via theinvention's user interface to restrict the distribution of resourcesfrom the user account with regard to the authorized user's specificcard, and may further limit the distribution of resources via that cardbased on specific products, types of products, categories of products,merchant identifiers, and the like.

Again, turning to the example of a user deciding to limit purchases on aspecific distribution instrument, such as an authorized user's debitcard, the user has many options for how they might implement theoperational decision to achieve this desired result. In some cases, theuser may wish to set a “whitelist” of approved products or merchants forwhich the card can be used to initiate a resource distribution, which inthis case might be limited to a specific product like gasoline. The usermay take this approach a step further, and limit the authorizeddistribution of resources from the authorized user's card to onlygasoline from a specific merchant, as indicated by a merchantidentifier, such as a gas station near the user's home. Alternatively,the user may choose to set a “blacklist” of products for which resourcedistribution should always be denied. For instance, the user may chooseto place video games, junk food, or any other product on the blacklist,thereby restricting the authorized user's ability to purchase theseproducts with resources from the user's account. Furthermore, the usermay choose to set general restrictions on the use of the authorizeduser's card. For instance, the user may choose to limit the time of daythat the authorized user is able to initiate the distribution ofresources from the user's account. In some instances, the user may knowthat the authorized user should not be making purchases during aparticular time of day, such as when an authorized user is scheduled tobe at work or at school. The user might choose to restrict theauthorization of resource distribution from the authorized user's cardduring these specific timeframes.

FIG. 5 illustrates a high level flowchart for operational decisionconfiguration and implementation for storage and implementation ofcommunication preferences 500, in accordance with embodiments of thepresent invention. In some embodiments, the user may wish to set anoperational decision unrelated to the distribution of resources, butthat still relates to the communication of information over the variousnetworks with which the invention interfaces. For instance, in someembodiments, the user may receive a communication involvingreal-time-payment requests. In this scenario, the user may be receivingunsolicited requests for distribution of resources with accompanyingcommunications. For example, a third party may initiate anreal-time-payment request to a user requesting a donation of a certainresource amount and include an accompanying communication about thedonation cause that the third party represents. As opposed to simplydenying the request, the user may implement an operational decision suchthat the NODE system will automatically screen communications based oncertain criteria such as the source of the communication, the content ofthe communication, a resource request amount, or some other criteriaassociated with the request.

As shown in block 502, the NODE system receives instructions via theuser interface for the one or more operational decision related to theuser account. At this point, the user is presented with the option toimplement an operational decision for communications based on one ormore criteria associated with the communications, such as thecommunication content, sender, time stamp, or any other metadataassociated with the communication. The system stores the one or moreoperational decisions as communication restriction in the networkoperational decision table, as shown in block 504, for later referencewhen the system receives a communication directed to the user orregarding the user's account.

Next, as shown in block 506, the NODE system receives a communicationtransmission from a third party system. The NODE system may recognizethat the communication is directed to a user who has implementedoperational decisions regarding the screening of certain communications.The system then further analyzes the communication, as shown in block508, to determine communication characteristics. In some embodiments,the communication characteristics may include message headerinformation, such as a subject field, sender, recipients, time sent,originating server information, and the like. In other embodiments, thecommunication characteristics may also include the content or message ofthe communication. Either the header information or the content of thecommunication may be analyzed and compared to communicationcharacteristics for past communications, as shown in block 508. Forinstance, the communication may indicate that the sender has previouslytransmitted a certain number of communications to the user over a giventime period. As such, in some embodiments, the user may set a thresholdfor number of communications to be forwarded from one source in a giventime period. In other embodiments, the NODE system may determine thatthe frequency of communications sent from a single source to one or moreusers is indicative of a spam communication or unsolicited attempt torequest distribution of resources. In some embodiments, the NODE systemmay utilize communication frequency or some other identified patternbased on the communication characteristics to preemptively deny furthercommunications by automatically setting an operational decision for theuser. In other embodiments, the NODE system may alert the user of therepeated communication attempts and allow the user to set an operationaldecision regarding future communications. As shown in block 510, theoperational decision is then used to authorize or deny incomingcommunications.

As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the presentinvention may be embodied as an apparatus (including, for example, asystem, a machine, a device, a computer program product, and/or thelike), as a method (including, for example, a business process, acomputer-implemented process, and/or the like), or as any combination ofthe foregoing. Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention maytake the form of an entirely software embodiment (including firmware,resident software, micro-code, and the like), an entirely hardwareembodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspectsthat may generally be referred to herein as a “system.” Furthermore,embodiments of the present invention may take the form of a computerprogram product that includes a computer-readable storage medium havingcomputer-executable program code portions stored therein. As usedherein, a processor may be “configured to” perform a certain function ina variety of ways, including, for example, by having one or morespecial-purpose circuits perform the functions by executing one or morecomputer-executable program code portions embodied in acomputer-readable medium, and/or having one or more application-specificcircuits perform the function. As such, once the software and/orhardware of the claimed invention is implemented the computer device andapplication-specific circuits associated therewith are deemedspecialized computer devices capable of improving technology associatedwith the in authorization and instant integration of a new credit cardto digital wallets.

It will be understood that any suitable computer-readable medium may beutilized. The computer-readable medium may include, but is not limitedto, a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a tangibleelectronic, magnetic, optical, infrared, electromagnetic, and/orsemiconductor system, apparatus, and/or device. For example, in someembodiments, the non-transitory computer-readable medium includes atangible medium such as a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a compact discread-only memory (CD-ROM), and/or some other tangible optical and/ormagnetic storage device. In other embodiments of the present invention,however, the computer-readable medium may be transitory, such as apropagation signal including computer-executable program code portionsembodied therein.

It will also be understood that one or more computer-executable programcode portions for carrying out the specialized operations of the presentinvention may be required on the specialized computer includeobject-oriented, scripted, and/or unscripted programming languages, suchas, for example, Java, Perl, Smalltalk, C++, SAS, SQL, Python, ObjectiveC, and/or the like. In some embodiments, the one or morecomputer-executable program code portions for carrying out operations ofembodiments of the present invention are written in conventionalprocedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming languagesand/or similar programming languages. The computer program code mayalternatively or additionally be written in one or more multi-paradigmprogramming languages, such as, for example, F#.

It will further be understood that some embodiments of the presentinvention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrationsand/or block diagrams of systems, methods, and/or computer programproducts. It will be understood that each block included in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations ofblocks included in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams,may be implemented by one or more computer-executable program codeportions. These one or more computer-executable program code portionsmay be provided to a processor of a special purpose computer for theauthorization and instant integration of credit cards to a digitalwallet, and/or some other programmable data processing apparatus inorder to produce a particular machine, such that the one or morecomputer-executable program code portions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer and/or other programmable data processingapparatus, create mechanisms for implementing the steps and/or functionsrepresented by the flowchart(s) and/or block diagram block(s).

It will also be understood that the one or more computer-executableprogram code portions may be stored in a transitory or non-transitorycomputer-readable medium (e.g., a memory, and the like) that can directa computer and/or other programmable data processing apparatus tofunction in a particular manner, such that the computer-executableprogram code portions stored in the computer-readable medium produce anarticle of manufacture, including instruction mechanisms which implementthe steps and/or functions specified in the flowchart(s) and/or blockdiagram block(s).

The one or more computer-executable program code portions may also beloaded onto a computer and/or other programmable data processingapparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on thecomputer and/or other programmable apparatus. In some embodiments, thisproduces a computer-implemented process such that the one or morecomputer-executable program code portions which execute on the computerand/or other programmable apparatus provide operational steps toimplement the steps specified in the flowchart(s) and/or the functionsspecified in the block diagram block(s). Alternatively,computer-implemented steps may be combined with operator and/orhuman-implemented steps in order to carry out an embodiment of thepresent invention.

While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in theaccompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments aremerely illustrative of, and not restrictive on, the broad invention, andthat this invention not be limited to the specific constructions andarrangements shown and described, since various other changes,combinations, omissions, modifications and substitutions, in addition tothose set forth in the above paragraphs, are possible. Those skilled inthe art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications ofthe just described embodiments can be configured without departing fromthe scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understoodthat, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may bepracticed other than as specifically described herein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for a network operational decisionengine, the system comprising: a memory device with computer-readableprogram code stored thereon; a communication device; a processing deviceoperatively coupled to the memory device and the communication device,wherein the processing device is configured to execute thecomputer-readable program code to: provide a user interface to a userallowing the user to apply at least one operational decision to a useraccount, wherein the one or more operational decisions compriserestrictions for distribution of resources; receive instructions via theuser interface for the one or more operational decisions related to theuser account on a resource distribution network and store the one ormore operational decisions in a network operational decision table;receive a request for distribution of resources from the user accountlocated on the resource distribution network; and authorize or deny therequest for distribution of resources from the user account located onthe resource distribution network based on the one or more operationaldecisions stored in the network operational decision table.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the one or more operational decisions furthercomprise transactional restrictions for distribution of resources basedon resource amount, distribution frequency, resource distributionrecipient, or other user-defined criteria.
 3. The system of claim 1wherein the one or more operational decisions further comprisetransactional restrictions for distribution of resources based on a SKUcode, product code, or merchant identifier, and the system is furtherconfigured to: identify the SKU code, product code, or merchantidentifier associated with the request for distribution of resources;and authorize or deny the request for distribution of resources based onthe identified SKU code, product code, or merchant identifier.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1 wherein the network operational decision engineauthorizes or denies the request for distribution of resources in realtime.
 5. The system of claim 1 wherein the user interface is displayedvia a mobile device and wherein the user applies one or more operationaldecisions to multiple user accounts simultaneously.
 6. The system ofclaim 1 wherein the one or more operational decisions are applied to auser account over multiple resource distribution networks such as debitcard, credit card, ACH, and real-time-payment transactions.
 7. Thesystem of claim 1 further comprising; storing configuration data for theuser, wherein the configuration data comprises authorized distributionamounts, authorized resource distribution recipients, temporal dataassociated with authorized resource distributions, and location datafrom a mobile device of the user; determine a pattern of authorizedresource distribution activity based on the user configuration data;receive a subsequent request for resource distribution of resources fromthe user account; determine a confidence score by comparing data for thesubsequent request for distribution of resources from the user accountwith the pattern of authorized resource distribution activity andcompare the confidence score to a threshold value; identify thesubsequent request for distribution of resources from the user accountas irregular based on the confidence score measuring lower than thethreshold value; manipulate the display of the mobile device of the userto display an alert including details of the identified irregularrequest; and allow the user to authorize or deny the irregular requestand apply one or more additional operational decisions to the useraccount.
 8. A computer program product for a network operationaldecision engine with at least one non-transitory computer-readablemedium having computer-readable program code portions embodied therein,the computer-readable program code portions comprising: an executableportion configured to provide a user interface to a user allowing theuser to apply one or more operational decisions to a user account,wherein the one or more operational decisions comprise restrictions fordistribution of resources; an executable portion configured to receiveinstructions via the user interface for the one or more operationaldecisions related to the user account on a resource distribution networkand store the one or more operational decisions in a network operationaldecision table; an executable portion configured to receive a requestfor distribution of resources from the user account located on theresource distribution network; and an executable portion configured toauthorize or deny the request for distribution of resources from theuser account located on the resource distribution network based on theone or more operational decisions stored in the network operationaldecision table.
 9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein theone or more operational decisions further comprise transactionalrestrictions for distribution of resources based on resource amount,distribution frequency, resource distribution recipient, or otheruser-defined criteria.
 10. The computer program product of claim 8,wherein the one or more operational decisions further comprisetransactional restrictions for distribution of resources based on a SKUcode, product code, or merchant identifier, and the network operationaldecision engine is further configured to: identify the SKU code, productcode, or merchant identifier associated with the request fordistribution of resources; and authorize or deny the request fordistribution of resources based on the identified SKU code, productcode, or merchant identifier.
 11. The computer program product of claim8, wherein the network operational decision engine authorizes or deniesthe request for distribution of resources in real time.
 12. The computerprogram product of claim 8, wherein the user interface is displayed viaa mobile device and wherein the user applies one or more operationaldecisions to multiple user accounts simultaneously.
 13. The computerprogram product of claim 8, wherein the one or more operationaldecisions are applied to a user account over multiple resourcedistribution networks such as debit card, credit card, ACH, andreal-time-payment transactions.
 14. The computer program product ofclaim 8 further comprising; an executable portion configured to storeconfiguration data for the user, wherein the configuration datacomprises authorized distribution amounts, authorized resourcedistribution recipients, temporal data associated with authorizedresource distributions, and location data from a mobile device of theuser; an executable portion configured to determine a pattern ofauthorized resource distribution activity based on the userconfiguration data; an executable portion configured to receive asubsequent request for resource distribution of resources from the useraccount; an executable portion configured to determine a confidencescore by comparing data for the subsequent request for distribution ofresources from the user account with the pattern of authorized resourcedistribution activity and compare the confidence score to a thresholdvalue; an executable portion configured to identify the subsequentrequest for distribution of resources from the user account as irregularbased on the confidence score measuring lower than the threshold value;an executable portion configured to manipulate the display of the mobiledevice of the user to display an alert including details of theidentified irregular request; and an executable portion configured toallow the user to authorize or deny the irregular request and apply oneor more additional operational decisions to the user account.
 15. Acomputer-implemented method for a network operational decision engine,the method comprising: providing a computing system comprising acomputer processing device and a non-transitory computer readablemedium, where the computer readable medium comprises configured computerprogram instruction code, such that when said instruction code isoperated by said computer processing device, said computer processingdevice performs the following operations: providing a user interface toa user allowing the user to apply one or more operational decisions to auser account, wherein the one or more operational decisions compriserestrictions for distribution of resources; receiving instructions viathe user interface for the one or more operational decisions related tothe user account on a resource distribution network and store the one ormore operational decisions in a network operational decision table;receiving a request for distribution of resources from the user accountlocated on the resource distribution network; and authorizing or denyingthe request for distribution of resources from the user account locatedon the resource distribution network based on the one or moreoperational decisions stored in the network operational decision table.16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the one or moreoperational decisions further comprise transactional restrictions fordistribution of resources based on resource amount, distributionfrequency, resource distribution recipient, or other user-definedcriteria.
 17. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein theone or more operational decisions further comprise transactionalrestrictions for distribution of resources based on a SKU code, productcode, or merchant identifier, and the system is further configured to:identify the SKU code, product code, or merchant identifier associatedwith the request for distribution of resources; and authorize or denythe request for distribution of resources based on the identified SKUcode, product code, or merchant identifier.
 18. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 15, wherein the network operational decision engineauthorizes or denies the request for distribution of resources in realtime.
 19. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, wherein the oneor more operational decisions are applied to a user account overmultiple resource distribution networks such as debit card, credit card,ACH, and real-time-payment transactions.
 20. The computer-implementedmethod of claim 15 further comprising; storing configuration data forthe user, wherein the configuration data comprises authorizeddistribution amounts, authorized resource distribution recipients,temporal data associated with authorized resource distributions, andlocation data from a mobile device of the user; determining a pattern ofauthorized resource distribution activity based on the userconfiguration data; receiving a subsequent request for resourcedistribution of resources from the user account; determining aconfidence score by comparing data for the subsequent request fordistribution of resources from the user account with the pattern ofauthorized resource distribution activity and compare the confidencescore to a threshold value; identifying the subsequent request fordistribution of resources from the user account as irregular based onthe confidence score measuring lower than the threshold value;manipulating the display of the mobile device of the user to display analert including details of the identified irregular request; andallowing the user to authorize or deny the irregular request and applyone or more additional operational decisions to the user account.